Architecture — Albany — Stones and Trees

Tiffany & The Dutch

Jan. 2025 · Albany First Church · Ricoh GRIIIx HDF

ƒ/2.8 · 1/40 · 26 · ISO 3200

One of the great pieces of American cultural heritage found in New York State, the First Church in Albany is home to these effortlessly beautiful Tiffany windows. The barrel-vaulted nave is enclosed on both sides by six-bay aisles. Slender Christo-Corinthian style columns divide the bays and both the upper and lower registers are windowed. One of Tiffany's most subtle accomplishments, the windows of the nave are devoid of any of his famous iconography. Tiffany had at times even convinced synagogues to decorate with pictorial glass, but here the reformed church opted for plain windows with simple geometrical borders. This program is thoroughly Protestant. The quality of the glass used is second to none. The hue thrown by these windows is nearly tangible.

Nike

Jun. 2025 · Court of Appeals · Ricoh GRIIIx HDF

ƒ/5.6 · 1/4000 · 26 · ISO 1600

The State Court of Appeals Building was designed by architect Henry Rector for the original purpose of simple state offices. At the time, the Court was across the street in the Capitol. Modeled after the Ionic order on the Temple Athena Nike on the Acropolis in Athens, these columns are less dramatic than their towering Corinthian neighbors at State Ed, however their finesse give the State’s highest court a fitting home – the Ionic order is rarely surpassed, and it takes more than sheer monumentality to do so. The fluted columns feature a very slight entasis that can be (correctly) difficult to see. The marble was mined, in the Ancient fashion, by prisoners at sing-sing. Inside is one of the grand interior architectural achievements in American history. The Henry Hobson Richardson designed court room was moved piece by piece from the Capitol to the new court. The carved oak paneling survived both the 1911 Capitol fire and a 1959 fire at the courthouse. The work was fine enough to elicit the compliment from the Lord Chief Justice of England that it was the “finest court room in the world”.

Prepared

Dec. 2025 · Center Square · RICOH GR IIIx HDF

ƒ/9.0 · 1/10 · 26.0mm · ISO 6400

Palazzo De Albany

Nov. 2025 · Washington Park · RICOH GR IIIx HDF

ƒ/9.0 · 1/100 · 26.0mm · ISO 200

Constructed in 1897, the three-building row at 385-389 State Street is a shining example of the Renaissance Revival style that was one of the final notes in the golden age of American architecture before eclectic modes began to absorb, combine, and refine the moods of half a century. State Street's Washington Park corridor is home to several fantastic Renaissance Revival structures at 415/423 and 429, but this Marcus T. Reynolds' design is the grandest of them all. The most striking feature is the terracotta panels adorning the first floor. Alternating bands of fish-scale and vermiculation give this row an utterly unique look. However, the style is most prominently realized in the second story windows with their elegant Corinthian capital mullions and extravagant molding. The adornment continues to the roof line where an elaborate frieze and cornice top off this spectacular facade. The coherence of the style across three different buildings and the rich details make this one of Albany's finest residential properties. The Renaissance Revival style was a natural fit for its age. The realities of American industrial society had begun to set in and the refrained sophistication’s of the Italianate and Romanesque Revival styles gave way to an unabashedly ornate school of design. Renaissance Revival architecture was maturing as the American Renaissance was waning.

Snowy Tricentenial

Dec. 2024 · Tricentenial Square · RICOH GR IIIx HDF

ƒ/5.6 · 1/100 · 26.0mm · ISO 100

Seasonal

Dec. 2025 · Center Square · RICOH GR IIIx HDF

ƒ/9.0 · 1/13 · 26.0mm · ISO 6400

Obscured

Nov. 2025 · Washington Park · RICOH GR IIIx HDF

ƒ/9.0 · 1/50 · 26.0mm · ISO 200

At the very outset of its run to the Hudson, State Street offers up one of its many architectural gems. 503 State Street, designed and built in 1886 by Walter Dickson, is a unique and lovely house. Romanesque qualities steer it away from ostentatiousness. The arched second story balcony sits above a deeply recessed doorway and two slit-windows. These features paired with the tall tree that obscures much of the house give it a sense of seclusion despite its location in the city. The eclectic brickwork offers a subtle enhancement to an otherwise largely proportional design.